Archive | 2014

As the sun rose, on Oct. 9, 2014, Sandi Severn closed her eyes, breathed her last breath and left us. The daughter of Winston and Louise (Hill) Robbins, Sandi was born on Aug. 3, 1946, in Portland. She graduated from Falmouth High School in 1964 and three years later graduated from the University of Maine at Portland (now the University of Southern Maine) with a degree in English and a minor in education.

After graduation, Sandi moved to Albuquerque, N.M., where a favorite aunt resided. There she began her career in the health field with Aetna. A few years later, one of her best friends from high school told her that her brother, Ben Severn, was moving into the area to work on his advanced degree and asked Sandi to introduce him to the area. She did that as well as marrying him just four months later on Jan. 31, 1969. Their only child, Amy was born on Oct. 8, 1972.

In 1974, they moved to the Washington, D.C., area, where Sandi continued working for Aetna and Ben began his career with USAID. In 1979, the family moved to Panama for Ben’s job. While there, Sandi worked for Oklahoma University and earned her master’s degree in human resources. In 1983, the family returned to Washington, D.C., where Sandi continued her work in the health field. In 1987, the family followed Ben’s career to Nairobi, Kenya where Sandi, not known to let grass grow under her feet, quickly immersed herself in a USAID agricultural project. Weekends and vacations were spent on Safari trips throughout Kenya, with many a short trip to the Nairobi National Park to just sit in the car with Ben and watch the giraffes as they roamed around, and often with just Amy while Ben traveled around the continent.

While in Kenya Sandi offered her home as a place for Peace Corp. volunteers to come for a hot shower and a home cooked meal while they were in town. This sparked several friendships that have remained after all these years. After four years in Kenya, the family moved back to the D.C. area for just a few months and then moved to the Dominican Republic. In 1992 Sandi and Ben came back to their home in the Washington, D.C., area.
Given her experiences oversea and working with USAID, Sandi found a great fit in her job as a contracts officer with Family Health International working on grants and contracts for a project called AIDSCAP, helping to control the spread of AIDS in under developed countries.

In 2000, Sandi and Ben retired to a 10 family association at the very southern end of Panther Pond in Raymond, ‘The Home of the Land Locked Salmon,’ that flows into Sebago Lake. Sandi particularly enjoyed sharing their lake front home with family and friends. She continued her work with Family Health International from home for a few years. Always one to be kept busy, over time she became involved with the Raymond Public Library, and to maintain data bases for the Panther Pond Association and the Raymond Waterways Protective Association and to write many of their thank you letters. As the ultimate shopper of bargains, she loved to show everyone how much, well, how little she paid for a shirt or a pair of pants she bought at GW Designs (Goodwill) or Sal’s Boutique (Salvation Army) .

When grandson Jack was seven years old he started attending Camp Nana and Grandpappy for at least a week before Amy and her husband David arrived for their annual vacation at the lake. As the informational hub for extended family, Sandi loved having family gatherings at the lake during the summer to catch up with her siblings, nieces, nephews and even the grandnieces and nephews, creating lasting memories for all.

It was Sandi’s green thumb and love of order and beauty that led her to bring a common area filled with rocks and high and low blueberry bushes under control and to build beautiful flower beds in front of the house looking toward Panther Pond. Her battle with deer over her hosta was legendary, with her shaved Irish spring soap bindings winning the day.

Surviving are her husband Ben; daughter Amy Brown, son-in-law David, and grandson Jack; sister Joan Jagolinzer, brother Win Robbins and his wife Penny; Ben’s siblings Eveleen, Charnette and Ken; along with numerous nieces, nephews; grandnieces and grandnephews whom she adored.

Dr. Carol J. Lancaster, the former USAID Deputy Administrator and Dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, died October 22.

Carol was an extraordinary leader in the development community and gave much during her three decades of exemplary service and leadership to her alma mater, Georgetown University, to the Agency for International Development, and the U.S. Department of State. In addition, Carol supported the larger national and international development communities through her pro bono work with countless non-profits. She was a creative scholar and a trusted practitioner. Over the years, she became a highly respected interlocutor for governments throughout Africa and Asia.

Her deep knowledge of what works and does not work in the development field, her common sense approach to difficult obstacles to development, her can-do philosophy, and her wonderful sense of humor will be sorely missed.

The Wilson Center extends its deepest sympathies to her husband, Curt Farrar, her son, Doug Farrar, and the extended Lancaster-Farrar family.

Alfred “Al” “Dad” “Poppop” “Grandpa” Bisset, 88, peacefully passed away in Atlanta, Georgia, Tuesday, September 16, 2014. Born on August 30, 1926 to Alfred and Helen Bisset in Washington, DC, he attended Bethesda Chevy Chase High School, earned his Bachelor of Science in Education, Master of Education and Doctorate of Education from the University of Maryland. He will be forever remembered by the “Love of His Life”, wife of 62 years, Patricia (Hill), their six children Kristina (John) Whittaker, Suzanne (Forest) Butler, Sheila (Lee) Aronfeld, Dana Bisset, Julie (Chris) Reid, and Peter (Mary) Bisset; six grandchildren, Erin and Chelsea Whittaker, Dustin and Brad Whittier, Matthew Bisset and Emily Bisset.

Al began his amazing career by serving his country as a Navy Corpsman during WWll. He became a Teacher and Middle School Principal. He then joined the US State Department as a Foreign Service Officer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Al’s career allowed him and his family to live all over the world in countries like Brazil, India, Egypt, Barbados, Kenya and Jamaica.

Al’s accomplishments are many, but his earliest achievement was becoming an Eagle Scout. As a Teacher, his innovation of developing individual learning plans for students, helped students learn the way each needed to learn. Through determination, and while helping to raise six children, Al earned his Doctorate of Education. He received many awards including the second highest award at USAID, the Superior Honor Award, for his “sustained innovative and productive effort in the development of a major program in human resource development for the Egyptian people.”

“Al”, “Dad”, “Poppop”, “Grandpa”, will always be in our hearts for his devotion to his family, his humor, love of music, dancing, love of gardening and playing golf. Even in death, living with Alzheimer’s, Alfred Bisset wanted to make a difference, and in that, he decided to donate his body to Georgetown Medical School.